OF BEAUTIES IN A WEDDING DRESS AND MORE
Eat, read a book, learn a skill...
“Life changing event? Okay! I’d say the lockdown came with series of positive life changing events for me, but I think my wedding ceremony is the most obvious one and actually tops the list.”
“I’m someone that strongly believes in destiny. Getting married has absolutely nothing to do with your course of study or the time frame.”
Heyyyyy!!!
Welcome to this week’s Saturday Special Feature with Directionless. This week, Directionless represented by Chinedu Patrick Aneke and Ebube Okolo, interviewed a final year Law student in a university in Nigeria as she tells the story of a life changing event that happened during this lockdown which marked a new beginning in her life.
Our guest today wishes to remain as anonymous as possible for personal reasons and for the purposes of this interview will be addressed as Ms. PN. The pictures attached are also not those of the couple, nor the bride as the case maybe.
Directionless: Good afternoon Ma’am, we hope your day is going well.
Ms. PN: Yes, good afternoon, thank you.
Directionless: Please can we meet you Ma’am?
Ms. PN: I am Ms. PN, a final year law student, from Ebonyi state, Nigeria.
Directionless: Nice to meet you Ma’am, we are glad to have you today. Moving forward, please tell us, how did you feel about the lockdown at the outset and do you feel the same way now?
Ms. PN: Hmm…to be very honest, when the lockdown started I was really happy, because my wedding was initially fixed to hold in the month of April and I was everything but ready for it. Moreover, I just needed a break from school and academic work as the whole pressure was getting to me. But right now, the unserious part of me still wants to be at home, Lol, but at the same time, I’d be really happy if school resumes so I can just graduate in peace.
Directionless: Weren’t we all happy? Lol, we hope school resumes soon too. Ma’am, what will you consider a life changing event that happened in your life during this lockdown?
Ms. PN: Life changing event? Okay! I’d say the lockdown came with series of positive life changing events for me, but I think my wedding ceremony is the most obvious one and actually tops the list.
Directionless: Wow! That’s beautiful Ma’am, congratulations. It must have been an amazing day for you.
Ms. PN: Yeah it was…thank you so much.
Directionless: You’re welcome. So how do you feel about being married? Is it everything you imagined it’d be?
Ms. PN: Oh well, I actually had my traditional marriage last year. Whether it is everything I imagined it’d be? Yes it is. It’s been amazing so far.
Directionless: We love to hear that!! Seeing that your traditional marriage held last year, how did your parents react to the news of your marriage at the earliest time when you first informed them of your intention to get married?
Ms. PN: That one eeeh, it’s a very long story and I may not be able to tell all of it right now. But the thing is, my parents were not shocked when they heard the news of my intent to get married as they already knew about the relationship. They were always around whenever he came to visit. So I’m sure they were expecting it.
Directionless: Awwwn, so fast forward to post wedding, have you gone on your honeymoon? If you have, do you mind telling us how it was?
Ms. PN: I’m yet to…we are planning towards January, because my husband’s schedule is really tight. So January is just the perfect time.
Directionless: That’s great, we’ll keep our fingers crossed.
Ms. PN: Alright.
Directionless: Moving forward, you are a law student Ma’am. It is largely uncommon for law students to get married before graduation as opposed to the norm in some other departments and faculties, why do you think this is so?
Ms. PN: I have no idea o. I’m someone that strongly believes in destiny. Getting married has absolutely nothing to do with your course of study or the time frame. Whether a law student or a medical student or a student of whatever other department, you’d surely get married when you’re destined to. It might be before or after graduation.
Directionless: True. True. We understand that being an undergraduate Law student, especially one in final year is quite demanding and being married at the same time makes it twice as tasking, how do you intend to balance your schedule upon resumption of academic activities?
Ms. PN: I don’t think there’s anything to balance. Once school resumes, it’s all school for me. I’ll simply move back to Enugu and finish my studies. My husband is someone that is big on education so you can’t even be unfortunate. It’d just be how we’ve always done things, we can see whenever he’s in Enugu as he’s also running a program in Enugu. So school should just resume first, urhhgg, balancing whatever won’t be a problem for me.
Directionless: That’s lovely. Ma’am, have you considered your plans for the future? Do you think getting married now will affect and/or impact these plans in any way positive or negative?
Ms. PN: Getting married now would definitely affects my plans for the future. Positively, yes! But in all honesty, I don’t think it’d affect my future plans in any way negative. Things can only get better.
Directionless: Okay. So, the part we’ve been itching to ask, baby plans?
Ms. PN: Lol. Most definitely.
Directionless: Awwwn. So, final year Law students should expect a new addition to their class?
Ms. PN: Lol. I don’t know about final year Law class o, but my immediate family? Yes!
Directionless: That’s great. Moving forward, in the society we live in today, there is a tendency for girls and young ladies to be pressured into marriage in their 20’s. What are your thoughts on this and what would you like to say too a young lady facing such pressure currently?
Ms. PN: Really, there is no perfect time frame to get married and not everyone is destined to get married or even have kids (that’s the bitter truth). If you get married in your 20’s, good for you, in your 30’s, good for you too. Just do whatever suits you. To the young lady facing pressure to get married, I’d be lying if I say I know how you feel, but it’s sad because most times the bulk of the pressure comes from our parents. However, just keep your head high, and with prayers and supplications, take your requests (whatever they may be) to God. Everyone and everything will be alright las las.
Directionless: Thank you very much Ma’am for these words of encouragement.
Ms. PN: You’re welcome.
Directionless: During this lockdown, did you acquire any new skill or start any business?
Ms. PN: New skill? I perfected my baking skills. I can’t really say it’s a new skill but oh well. But I did start a new business during the lockdown but I couldn’t deal with the stress of business. I learnt that business wasn’t for everyone. Some of us are just good with our books. Maybe, just maybe one day I’ll kick start the business again.
Directionless: Totally relatable, we very well understand. Finally Ma’am, what are your last words to the entirety of students in universities across Nigeria who have had to stay at home seemingly directionless, due to the lockdown and the unending strike action by ASUU?
Ms. PN: To every university student, eat, read a book, learn a skill if possible, have fun, enjoy your father’s house or whoever’s house you are in (yours included if that’s where you are), because eeh, if they eventually call off this strike we’ll all miss these moments and regret why we didn’t enjoy it to the fullest.
Directionless: Great advice, thank you. Thanks a lot Ma’am for accepting our invitation to share your story today. We congratulate you, once again on your marriage and your exceptional bravery and optimistic approach to life. We wish you greater heights in the future.
Ms. PN: You’re welcome and thanks for having me.